Thursday, March 29, 2012

Venus entered its own sign of Taurus, the Bull, on March 28, 2012 and will
remain there until July 31, 2012. During this time it will transition from Evening star
to Morning star completing its fifth and final synodic cycle of its 8
year pentagonal dance. Taurus is a powerful sign for
Venus as its earthy energy is able to manifest Venus' creative impulse
on the physical plane. Venus in Taurus brings comfort and ease to
life. But this Venus in Taurus must also go through the shamanic
process of shifting from Evening Star to Morning Star. During its transit in Taurus there may be
upsets in the status quo especially when Venus conjoins Ketu on April 9, 2012 and later becomes involved in a lunar eclipse on June 4, 2012 followed by its spectacular Venus Transit between June 5-6, 2012. Venus IS the planet to watch for the most
significant astronomical and astrological events of 2012.

The planet Venus has been referred to as the Morning Star or Evening Star for
thousands of years. As its orbit is closer to the Sun than the Earth's, it can never stray
very far from its source of luminosity. Its twinkling presence may
grace either the eastern horizon in the pre-dawn sky, or the western
horizon just after sunset; and is never seen during the night. At most
it is visible for a few hours before disappearing into the radiance of
the day or evening twilight. A Venus Cycle describes its retrograde patterns
that bring the planet into what's called combustion with the Sun.
During this time Venus disappears from view on the earth for
approximately 40 days.

As I have discussed in many previous posts (click here and here), ancient sky-watching cultures interpreted the periods of darkness
when Venus disappears from view on the earth as a time when the "star"
traveled to the the underworld. Mesoamericans linked the Morning phase of Venus with Quetzalcoatl and the Evening Star with his twin brother Xolotl. The Greeks called the morning star phase Phosphoros meaning "Bringer of Light," or Eosphoros, "Bringer of Dawn,” and the evening star phase was called Hesperos meaning "setting in the West." The ancient Babylonians called Venus
the double-phased Ishtar -- the Morning Star of War and the Evening Star of Love. As Morning Star Venus
was often represented as a bearded warrior bearing weapons. However, as
an Evening Star the archetype shifts and becomes softer, more attuned
to reconciliation, treaties, bringing communication and cooperation to
whatever it is uniting.

Some of the earliest references to Venus are found on clay tablets dating as early as 3000 BC from Uruk,
an important early Sumerian city in southern Iraq. In ancient Sumer the
goddess Inanna was associated with the planet Venus and the Uruk tablets specify her celestial identity as Venus with the symbol of an eight-pointed star.

There are hymns dedicated to Inanna that describe as her astral
manifestation of the planet Venus. It is also believed that the myths
about Inanna correspond with the movements of the planet Venus in the
sky. Inanna's Decent to the Underworld (click here)
explains how Inanna is able to descend into the netherworld, pass
through a series of tests, and return to the earth by ascending to the
heavens. The planet Venus appears to make a similar descent, setting in
the West and then rising again in the East. And during her journey to
the underworld, the goddess Inanna passes through seven gates removing an article of clothing at each gate until she is
completely naked exposing her bright beauty to the darkest realms.

As
my partner Joseph poignantly reminded me: The
clothing represents the constructs of our ego and aspects of our false
self. It only feels like Hell if we are attached to our egos. By
removing her clothes Innana strips down to her bare essence and is
given the opportunity to connects to her true self. In order to exit
the underworld, Inanna was required to select someone to leave behind in
her place. Could this be her shadow? When Innana returned to her
kingdom, she finds that her husband Dammuzi had showed no concern for
her during her absence. Thus she sent her "unconscious" male aspect, or
animus, down to the underworld in her place where he is beaten and
gashed with axes. Could the two faces of the Sumerian Venus and cycles
of Venus represent the shamanic process of dissolving the ego, anima,
and animus to release the divine enlightened self?

This
year Venus makes this journey through the heart of the Sun in full view
to the Earth during a rare Venus Transit in June. We will be able to
symbolically witness the goddess remove 7 layers of clothing until she
stands before us naked. Because Venus is powerful in the sign of
Taurus, this revelation of her true nature should prove to be
astonishing. However, because we are also in the middle of a solar
maximum there may be plenty of shadows, such as sunspots, in her path.
Should one of those sunspots emit a solar flare it would be possible for
the coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun to brush past Venus and
hit the Earth. In my opinion, this possible phenomenon could bring an
increase threat for a world wide influenza (click here for more). Thus we should all keep a close eye on this event.

Venus Transit and 2012 Themes
2012
is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated years of the modern era
due to wild apocalyptic speculations concerning the end date of both the
Mayan calendar and Terrence McKenna's Timewave Zero: the Winter
Solstice on December 21, 2012. Most Mayan scholars dismiss the idea of
cataclysmic events as depicted in the highly entertaining, but
inaccurate movie called 2012, and a few like John Major Jenkins
point to the astronomical alignment of the Winter Solstice with the
Galactic Center suggesting that intergalactic waves of energy or
information may bath the Earth and transform consciousness (for more see
my previous post Understanding the End Dates of the Mayan Calendar). Moreover, there are no predictions of catastrophe in any extant Mayan texts. Timewave Zero, or Novelty,
is a mathematical formula developed by psychonaut Terrence McKenna, who
theorized that the universe has an evolutionary process of increasing
interconnectedness that reaches a singularity of infinite complexity
when everything will occur simultaneously. Based on his calculations
using the King Wen I Ching, he believed that 2012 would be an
"eschaton" in which a collapse of time would usher in a new time. It
is very easy to see how these two concepts became "interconnected" over
the years.

What
these two systems do share is the measurement of the fractal nature of
time and mathematics related to the harmonic numbers of Venus cycles: 5,
8, and 13. In a previous post I described how Venus cycles relate to Phi and Fibonnaci
sequences which are also found in the Mayan calendars. Venus orbits the
Sun 13 times during the period in which the Earth orbits the Sun 8
times. As Venus orbits the Sun 13 times, while
the Earth orbits the Sun 8 times, then Venus must pass the Earth 5 times
during those 8
years completing 5 synodic periods in 8 years, or 5
complete morning star/eveningstar cycles that inscribe its mystical
pentagram across the heavens.

In the Taoist philosophy of the I Ching, the number 8 represents all possibilities in manifestation within the bagua
and the forces of the phenomenal world. The 5 elements (which may more
accurately be translated as 5 transitions) describe how these forces of
nature, or energy waves, shifts within the lunar year of 13 moon
cycles.

In
Mayan cosmology and mythology Venus was the focus of the timing of
ritual. The ancient Maya tracked the Morningstar phases of Venus that
occur every 584 days, with great accuracy. Within one of the few
surviving Mayan books called the Dresden Codex, are six pages of Venus Tables that describe a Venus Round and the Sacred Day of Venus. 1 Ahau was the sacred Day of Venus for the Maya. Ahau
means "lord," "light" or "Sun" suggesting that a Venus cycle maybe
connected with an inferior conjunction of Venus with the Sun, or even a
rare Venus Transit of the Sun. I find the glyph of Ahau to
be intriguing as it seems to represent the Sun emitting or being caught
by a beam of light surrounded on either side with two dots, perhaps
indicating the inner planets Mercury and Venus. Or these two dots could they represent
the two phases of Venus that figure so prominently in Mayan lore.

It may be a surprise to some, but not those
who understand the concept of synchronicity, that Terrence McKenna was
born on November 18, 1946 (7:30 am, Hotchkiss, CO), a day before an
inferior conjunction of Venus in Scorpio/Vishaka ,which was in a
configuration much like the upcoming inferior conjunction and Transit of
Venus of June 2012, involving the south node, Ketu. I have no doubt
that McKenna's natal line up of Sun, Venus Rx, Mercury Rx, Mars, and
Ketu in Scorpio predisposed him to transcend ordinary consciousness
through hallucinogens and navigate realities and consciousness that seem
to be connected with Venus Cycles and Galactic and Universal
Timewaves. On December 21, 2012 transiting Venus will rejoin his natal
Venus in Scorpio in a beautiful chance coincidence of time.

Venus Transit: June 5-6, 2012

Thus
during 2012 the planet Venus is the certainly one to watch for the most
significant astronomical and astrological events of the year: the Venus
Transit. On June 5-6, 2012 Venus will make its astronomically rare
transit
across the face of the Sun appearing as a distinct black spot that is
1/32 of the diameter of the Sun. It will be large enough to see without
the aid of a telescope. This phenomenon occurs in a pattern
that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart
separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The periodicity
is a reflection of the fact that the orbital periods of Earth and Venus
are close to 8:13 and 243:395 resonances.

The 2012 transit of Venus will begin a day
after a partial Rahu lunar eclipse of a debilitated Moon in Scorpio/Jyestha with Ketu in Taurus/Rohini
also "transiting" the Sun 11 degrees behind Venus. In addition Jupiter
and Mercury will also be transiting the sign of Taurus, but will be
hidden behind the rays of the Sun and unable to touch Venus with their
direct glance. With so many planets connected with "consciousness"
lined up and in combustion with the Sun, Venus is left alone to receive
the Sun and Earth's full attention.

As Venus passes
between the Sun and the Earth during a Venus transit, it is in essence
very similar to a lunar eclipse. So this time around we will be getting
a double whammy of lunar and Venus eclipse. The involvement of the
nodes, which are markers for incarnation into the material field, with
this Venus Transit suggests that this astronomical moment in time will
be quite significant. Because the south node, Ketu, will manifest its
shadow the day before, it is the only planet that will have an effect on
Venus. Its energy of dissolution may release old karmic patterns and
materialistic bonds during the lunar eclipse which may then be
transformed the next day by the conjunction of Venus in the heart of the
Sun, called Cazimi. When the Sun engulfs the energies of a planet in Cazimi, (Venus), it is said to imbue the planet with
the intensely positive and life-giving energy and power of the Sun, who draws its energy from the shakti of the nakshatras that it transits: Rohini.

The previous Venus
transit of 2004 also occurred in Taurus, but in the nakshatra of Mrigrashira which has a very different flavor than Rohini, also known as Surabhi - the celestial cow who is regarded as the source of all prosperity. The fixed star associated with Rohini is the great Persian royal star Aldebaran, the "watcher of the east," and its residing deity of Rohini is Prajapati, the Creator who grants our deepest desires. Aldebaran is located in the eye of the Bull and is thus associated with sight, illumination and vision. Brady
believes that "this radiation of the Cosmic Bull implies that something
will be destroyed or ruined, but then re-cosmogised, reborn, or remade
afresh" which sounds very Mithraic to me. She predicts that there may
be another European or global currency/market crisis representing a
harvest being destroyed. "This is a time when the heavenly patterns are
indicating cosmogising -- destroying to remake afresh."

In the Vedic tradition, the power associated with this nakshatra is rohana shakti, growth -- as might be expressed in the Fibonacci sequence, phi, and the sacred geometry of the pentagram that Venus draws in the heavens over the course of 8 years. Rohini
is also called the "star of ascent" that gives an increase in status in
society, and perhaps to our souls. Thus this Venus Transit may instead
herald a
provocative shift in energy at that time in which we may be able to call
upon the Creator and Universal forces for the star's gift of
"ascension," be it material or
spiritual, to be made manifest through Venus' shamanic transformation to
Morning Star. Venus will remain in the Morning Star position through
the end of the year, and travels to nearly the exact opposite side of
the zodiac for the morning of the Winter Solstice, and completion of the
Mayan Calendar in the nakshatra of Anuradha, whose symbols are
the lotus and triumphal doorway. Where will our brave Venus lead us?
That remains to be seen, but one this is for sure, Venus, the bringer of light, promises a beautiful dawn. Namaste!

About Me

I began this blog a few years ago to post my thoughts and interpretations of astrological and astronomical events. My perspective is based on the alchemical principle of 'as above, so below.' As an acupuncturist I am trained to look at patterns to uncover how the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm. As a Vedic astrologer I have come to realize that the planets and stars are living beings that transmit information to those who know how to listen. The ancient seers and mystics could hear their messages and developed practices like yoga, meditation, and Astrology (in Sanskrit Jyotisha means the 'science of light') to help us find union with the cosmos. The language of the stars is one of light and sound that steps down to human consciousness in the form of symbols and archetypes. The intention of this blog to to simply share what the stars have to say.

Followers

Sister Sites

I have two sisters sites. Starsyncs (click here) demonstrates how some of the astrological aspects that I discuss in starworlds show up in the news and media. Taoworlds (click here) examines the path of healing, both for patient and practitioner, from an alchemical perspective which is the root of Chinese medicine.

Om Gaṃ Ganapataye Namah

Lord Ganesha represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. For this reason, Hindus worship Ganesha first before beginning any religious, spiritual or worldly activity. Lord Ganesha is also the protector of travellers, healers, and astrologers.

Om Namah Shivaya

Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being that continuously dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe.

Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Saraswati is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped by all persons interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, scholars, and scientists.

What is the Difference between Vedic and Western Astrology: 23 Degrees, Nakshatras, and Sidereal

Twenty-three is my quick answer to the question: "what is the difference between Vedic Astrology and Western astrology?" I don't mean to be cryptic, but 23 degrees is literally the difference between the Tropical and Sidereal zodiacs. It is called the Ayanamsha -- in Sanskrit ayana meaning solstice and amsha meaning portion -- and it refers to the difference between Tropical and Sidereal zodiacs.

The zodiac is a ring of constellations often referred to as signs, such as Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio and Taurus. It is a cosmic clock around which our solar systems operates and how astrologers measure cycles of time. Most people do not realize that there are two distinct zodiacs. Vedic astrologers use the Sidereal zodiac and Western astrologers use the Tropical zodiac. The Sidereal zodiac is based on observations of planets lining up against the backdrop of the fixed stars. It is oriented to the center of the galaxy. On the other hand, the Tropical zodiac is based on the relationship between the sun and earth. It is oriented to the equinoxes. In Western astrology the spring equinox sets the beginning of the Tropical zodiac at 1 degree Aries, even though the sun is astronomically traveling in the light fields of Pisces. In other words, it does not correspond to observable position. Vedic astrology is called Jyotisha in Sanskrit, meaning the science of light, and Vedic astrology describes how the light emitted from the stars effects us. When Western astrology was in its early stages, the two zodiacs may have lined up; but over time the two moved apart approximately 50 seconds per year to the current 23 degrees of separation (even that number is debated, but the standard of India, the Lahiri ayanamsha is 23 degrees 10 seconds).

Vedic astrology is considered by scholars to pre-date Western astrology and is the only system that has accounted for the precession of the equinoxes. What is the precession of the equinoxes? The answer to that involves another occurrence of the number 23 (those familiar with the enigma of 23, like LOST and RAW fans, may find this amusing). Because Earth's axis is tilted 23° 27' in its orbit around the sun, its equatorial plane is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane, the plane created by Earth's orbit. These two intersecting planes create an intersecting line called the vernal axis that occurs on the first day of spring, or Vernal equinox. As the Earth spins on its axis, its axis wobbles (precesses 50.3 seconds of arc per year or 1 degree every 71.6 years) very slowly over a period of about 24,000 to 26,000 years. As this occurs, the pole of the Earth inscribes an arc in the heavens called the precessional arc. The Earth's pole aligns with different stars throughout the precessional period. The current pole star is Polaris. Approximately 13,000 year ago it was Vega, one of my favorite stars. Earth's precessional cycle is also referred to as Earth's Great Year in the alchemical tradition, World Ages, or Yugas in the Vedas. David Frawley describes it a one year in the life of humanity.

In Vedic astrology there is a line of thought that suggests this 24,000-26,000 cycle (and even wobble of the earth itself) maybe be generated by a grand cycle of our sun with a companion dark star. Modern astronomy is studying this possibility as well. The ancient Vedic seers divided up the cycle into four world ages: the Satya(Truth or Golden), Treta (Third or Silver), Dwapara (Third or Bronze) and Kali (first or Iron) Ages. Each age describes a stage of awareness for mankind in which consciousness ascends, descends, and ascends in unending cycles perhaps due to the influence of this yet to be discovered companion star. Although New Age philosophers have described humanity as entering the Age of Aquarius, astronomically speaking that will not happen for approximately 300-400 years.

According to Vedic thought, the cycles of ascending and descending consciousness are connected not only to our rotation around a companion star, but also our cycle around the galactic center. According to David Frawley, "Vedic astrology orients the zodiac to the galactic center, or the central galactic sun, whose influence comes to us through fixed stars of the constellation Sagittarius." The galactic center is like our cosmic belly button -- it is sometimes called Vishnunabhi, or the navel of Vishnu-- the point from which our galaxy grew and expanded. Many ancient cultures studied and recorded their observations about this area of the night sky, including the Mayans whose calendar marks an astronomical event of our winter solstice aligning with the galactic center in 2012. It's like the earth's pole or antenna will be aligned and open to receive message from the source itself. [H]ohm is calling.

One of the most brilliant developments of the ancient Vedic seers was to further divide the zodiac into more identifiable parts. They did this by creating the Nakshatra system. In Sanskrit Nakshatra means lunar mansion. As the moon travels through the entire zodiac in 27-28 days, the ancient seers ascribed a Nakshatra for each day simplifying its location. Although too vast a subject to go into in this post, it is interesting to point out that the name for the Nakstratra that marks the galactic center is Mula, meaning root or source.

Another difference between Western and Vedic astrology is the modern use of non-observable planets and asteroids. As a Neo-Vedic astrologer I do consider some of the outer planets when I look at a chart, but I tend to be more interested in the fixed stars and Nakshatras. I marvel at how Western astrologers bring in new astronomical discoveries to their chart interpretations. Basically I see Western charts as a map of the same terrain as a Vedic chart, but indicating different types or levels of information. It's like comparing a topological map with a road map. I don't need to know the difference of elevation between Broadway and 3rd Avenue, but I might like to know the street number of Benaroya Hall. It all depends on what type of information one is seeking. Vedic astrologers come from a tradition and philosophy that focuses on the four aims of life: dharma (purpose), arthra (attainment), kama (desire),and the most important moksha (liberation). Western astrology is enriched by many diverse traditions and the information gleaned from it may be quite extensive and more suited for the modern mind. But for me, I've always been drawn to the stars in the night sky and have felt them speak to me in the language of light. And as Jyotisha is the science of light, it is the tool and filter I use to translate this information.